Monthly Archives: March 2010

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PASADENA — A masked robber smashed a display case and ran off with several gold chains Wednesday, police said.The crime occurred just before noon at Agua Pura Joyeria & Plus, 122 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena police Lt. Tom Pederson said.A man entered the store and used a metal object to smash a glass display case, the lieutenant said.He then helped himself to several gold chains and ran away, Pederson said. He was last seen running south on Summit Avenue.The robber was a black man in his mid-20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, of thin build, Pederson said. He wore a black hooded sweat shirt, a black shirt, black gloves and a black bandana over his face.

A teenage boy apparently shot himself in the leg by accident Sunday in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.The incident was reported about 6:20 p.m. in the 13400 block of Beaty Avenue, sheriff’s and fire officials said.The shooting remained under investigation late Sunday, however it initially appeared that 17-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Wilkins said.A gun was found at the scene, though deputies were still working to find out who the weapon belonged to, the lieutenant said.The boy was expected to survive the injury, he added.

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles homicide detectives are investigating whether the shooting death of a 38-year-old Hollywood woman is connected to the 2008 murders of two of her relatives.Karine Hakobyan was found Friday behind the wheel of her Honda CRV with a gunshot wound to the back of her head.Officer Sara Faden said Sunday that investigators want to know whether the killing is related to the deaths two years ago of Khachik Safaryan, a 43-year-old Armenian man, and his 8-year-old daughter Lusine. They were related to Hakobyan and their murders are unsolved.

LA PUENTE — A sobriety checkpoint in La Puente over the weekend netted two arrests, along with dozens of tickets and vehicle impounds, authorities said Sunday.The checkpoint was held from 8 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday on southbound Azusa Avenue at Renault Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Michael Lang said.In addition to the two arrests for drug and alcohol-related charges, Lang said, deputies wrote 34 tickets and impounded 30 vehicles.

A sheriff’s K-9 found a suspected burglar hiding in a dumpster in an unincorporated county area near Pasadena Saturday, authorities said.The name of the suspect, a 32-year-old man, was not available late Saturday as he was still going through the booking process, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Walker said.A family came home about 5:30 p.m. in the 3300 block of Thorndale Avenue and saw a man exit the side door of their home, the sergeant said.One of the family members chased the suspect onto the campus of Wilson Middle School, 300 Madre Street, Walker said, but backed off when the suspect motioned as if he had a weapon.Deputies and Pasadena police surrounded the school, and the suspect was found hiding in a dumpster on campus by a sheriff’s K-9 about 8:30 p.m., he said.The man did not have a weapon when arrested, Walker said. The home he is suspected of burglarizing had been ransacked.

WEST VALINDA — Sheriff’s officials sought witnesses Saturday in a shooting in a residential neighborhood.No one was injured in the 5:30 p.m. shooting on Willow Avenue at Dillerdale Street, though a parked car and occupied house were struck by gunfire, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Pete Cacheiro said.Neighbors reported hearing several gunshot and seeing a man running from the area, the lieutenant said.No information regarding a shooter or intended victims was available, he added.A motive was also unclear, Cacheiro said, and anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Industry Station.Saturday’s shooting was the second shooting in the area in two days.Two men and a woman were arrested Friday afternoon after the men allegedly shot at, but missed, a young woman from a passing car in the 1500 block of Shipman Avenue in East Valinda, officials said. The female suspect was suspected of following the apparent victim home earlier in the day.Authorities said Friday’s attack appeared to be gang-related.

EL MONTE — Police are planning a sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint next week, authorities said.The checkpoint will be held April 3 at an undisclosed time and place in El Monte, El Monte police Cpl. Glen Eugenio said in a written statement.“All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired driver,” the statement said.The upcoming checkpoint, “is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as insuring drivers have a valid driver’s license,” police said.Members of the public are encouraged to call 911 if they see an impaired driver, Eugenio added.Funding for the checkpoint is being provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS — Firefighters made quick work of an attic fire at a Hacienda Heights home Saturday, officials said.The blaze was first reported about 3:40 p.m. on Allenton Avenue, just north of Colima Road, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Willie Sanchez said.The residents of the home — a man and woman estimated in their late 50s or early 60s — were able to get themselves out of the house before help arrived, the captain said.Firefighters doused the flames in under 15 minutes, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Art Marrujo said.In initially appeared the fire caused about $50,000 worth of damage to the attic of the home, sheriff’s officials said.The home was undergoing a remodel, he added, and a faulty electrical line seemed to be to blame.The couple told officials they would stay with family while the home is repaired, he said.

WEST COVINA — A routine traffic stop for tinted windows turned into a major narcotics arrest Friday when West Covina police allegedly found five pounds of methamphetamine in a La Puente man’s car.Roberto Alvarez, 37, of La Puente, was booked on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sales, West Covina police officials said.An officer pulled Alvarez over in the Honda Civic he was driving about 7:45 p.m. Friday at Azusa and Workman avenues, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said in a written statement.Police discovered Alvarez’s driver’s license was suspended and began impounding his car, the lieutenant said.While searching the vehicle, Sevilla said, officers found about five pounds of meth.The street value of the meth is estimated to be between $70,000 and $75,000, West Covina police Lt. Dave Rozeboom said.The car Alvarez was driving was not registered to him, he added.According to sheriff’s booking records, Alvarez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and is due for arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.

EAST VALINDA — Deputies arrested two men and a woman Friday after the men allegedly opened fire on a woman with a handgun, authorities said.Michael Ramirez, 26, of East Valinda was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and preventing or dissuading a witness, Jorge Guerrero, 20, of Bloomington was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, and Jennifer Riutort, 21, of Diamond Bar was booked on suspicion of preventing or dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Arthur Scott said.The suspects were arrested after deputies found the car believed to have been used in the shooting parked about half a mile away, the lieutenant said.No one was injured in the shooting, which took place about 3:45 p.m. in the 1500 block of Shipman Avenue, the lieutenant said.The men who were jailed were suspected of carrying out the shooting, Scott said, while the female suspect is believed to have followed the intended victim home earlier in the day.A 26-year-old woman was standing in front of a home when a Volkswagon car passed by, Scott said.Ramirez, who was driving, screamed out gang-related remarks before firing twice at the woman, but missing, he said.Deputies spotted the suspect vehicle in the 17400 block of Tadmore Street and arrested Ramirez and Guerrero as they were walking away from it, Scott said. The victim recognized them as her attackers.The female suspect was arrested nearby, he added.Scott said it was not clear if the apparent victim had gang ties.According to sheriff’s booking records, Ramirez and Riutort were being held in lieu of $100,000 bail each. Guerrero was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.All three are due in West Covina Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

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